So, I had remembered that, finally, that finally, I, finally, finally,
I was just, I was just going to do it -- I was going to tell Paul.
"Paul, Paul," I was going to say, "You're right, Paul -you're right,
Paul -- Paul, you're right -- Too knows how to say, 'Still!'", Paul-
Paul, Too knows how to say 'Still!' -- when instead I was cut off,
when, instead, I'm pretty sure, she, when I'm pretty sure that what
Too said, was,"It sucks!"
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Paul's father said, up until then quietly reclining, eyes closed, on the sofa near me.
"Now," Paul's father said, "Now, Too, now, Too now knows how to say, now, 'Right?'" Paul's
father said.
"Too knows how to say 'Right?' now!"
Paul, now getting up, was gesturing and pointing -- and, at me -- "Hey,
can't you please?" Paul asks.
"Can't you please?"
"Son?"
"Son?" Paul again repeats.
(Too said, "Right?")
"For just this?"
"And, and, you know," Paul said, looking to me, "You know, I think, I
think if I saw problems, I think if I saw problems, you know, with,
with a, a, the, the, you know, you know, Too's... Too's... habits, his... how,
how Too, how Too is, I think if I did, I think I'd know it."
"Act like it, okay?" Paul demanded loudly.
(Too: "It sucks!")
"Too will say, 'It smells!'" Paul said.
"Too will, son -- Too, son, will say, 'It smells!'"
"Act," Paul said, returning more to the pleading, "Like you're fine?"
"Paul!" I said.
"Honestly!"
"Honestly Paul!"
"Paul!"
"Paul, Paul."
"Paul, Paul, Paul."
"Paul."
"Honestly... Paul," I said -- in my exhaustion, trailing off. "Paul..."
Paul said, "Hey!"
"The question!"
"Are you... are you okay?" I asked.
(Too said, "It smells!")
(Right?)
(Still!)
(It smells!)
"I taught," I yelled, "Me -- I -- I taught Too come on!"
("Come on!" -- Too)
"I taught him come on!"
"This here, Paul?" Paul's father, calmly next to me, reasons.
"This here?"
"With come on?"
"With Too?"
"This here?"
"This here, Paul," Paul's father explains, "it's, with Too, with your
son, with come on, not the first time here."
"Son," Paul now begs, "What should I do?"
"What should I do, son?"
"I think we'd know it!" Paul says with his hands outstretched, him
standing up, frustrated, again.
"I think we'd know it!"
"I think we'd know it!"
"With Too?" I asked, retorting carefully.
"Paul?"
"With Too here?"
"Paul, it's not," his father says with closure, "it's just not."
(Paul was crying!)
(Paul was crying!)
Paul's father shook his head.
"Now, I am going to have to have a conversation with Too's mother, Paul."
(Too said, "Still!")
(Too said, "Right?")
"Now I'm going to have to have a conversation with your mother, Paul."
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